EuroWire September 2020

Corporate News

Isabellenhütte meets high demand in record time

If the temperature is too low, there is a risk of hypothermia and lung damage. Isotan is a typical heat conductor used in potentiometers or heating pads, for example those used in floor heating systems. It features low temperature coefficients of electrical resistance for a large range of temperatures, ie it reacts to changes in resistance with only very low changes in temperatures (in special quality ±10 ppm per Kelvin). In addition, Isotan is oxidation- and corrosion-resistant, giving it a long lifecycle and making it robust to outside effects. In medical technology, reliability and a long lifecycle are central material requirements in view of the demands placed on the cables. Isotan is supplied as a round wire which is then further processed and sheathed by the cable manufacturer. Isabellenhütte Heusler GmbH & Co KG www.isabellenhuette.de

Isabellenhütte, a specialist for precision alloys, supplies the alloy Isotan® as a heat conductor for ventilators. When demand for ventilators suddenly increased as a result of developments related to the coronavirus, Isabellenhütte put its rapid supply performance to the test.

While 40 kg of Isotan was ordered from Isabellenhütte as a usual annual quantity in February, the cable manufacturer in question had to place a subsequent order for a further 400 kg in late-March – an increase in demand of 1,000 per cent. Dora Kosiarska, area sales manager for alloys at Isabellenhütte, commented, “We knew right away how important and urgent this issue was, and wanted to make our contribution. Because we produce our alloys at the primary site in Dillenburg [Germany] and had enough raw materials, we could move straight to implementation. We created extra capacity so that we could meet the increased demand within only two days. It was therefore possible for the customer to start with their own cable production immediately.” Isabellenhütte’s normal delivery times for wires such as Isotan are typically several weeks. Isotan is used in the ventilators’ heat conductors, which warm the breathing gas up to body temperature before it reaches the patient.

▲ ▲ Dora Kosiarska, area sales manager for alloys at Isabellenhütte

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September 2020